Times Square Church

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Times Square Church

Times Square Church was founded by Reverend David Wilkerson in 1987. It is an interdenominational and multicultural church located at 51st Street and Broadway in New York City. Over 8,000 people, representing more than 100 nationalities, gather to worship together every week. Volunteers from the congregation participate in over thirty ministries, ranging from feeding the homeless in New York City to staffing an orphanage in South Africa. A major emphasis at Times Square Church is giving aid to the disadvantaged.

The church briefly held its services in The Town Hall on 43rd Street in Manhattan and then in the Nederlander Theatre on 41st Street until 1989, when it purchased the Mark Hellinger Theatre, known formerly as the Hollywood Theatre. The Mark Hellinger Theatre is the original Broadway home to My Fair Lady, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and Jesus Christ Superstar.^[1]

There has been much controversy surrounding the purchase of one of Broadway's finest landmark theatres by a church. Numerous offers have been made to reclaim the Mark Hellinger as a legitimate theatre. However, Times Square Church purchased the building from the Nederlander Organization for $16 million in 1989 and says they have no intentions of moving.

There are three services on Sunday at 10:00 AM, 3:00 PM and 6:00 PM. Since 2002, founding pastor David Wilkerson has entrusted the senior pastorate to Carter Conlon, formerly an evangelical pastor from eastern Canada and associate pastor at Times Square Church from 1994-2002. There are also visiting ministers and missionaries who come to preach from all over the world. The church places an emphasis on prayer and even has a "prayer during preaching ministry". On Thursday evenings, prayer meetings are held in the church's annex on 1657 Broadway. There is also a strong high school and young adults program.